All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

"It's not just Teacher Ran tonight. This was arranged by Uncle San. Do you think he'll let such a good opportunity slip by? His family isn't even cooking tonight. Why don't you bring your child along? Anyway, I'll call Uncle San and the deaf old lady over later so we can all have some fun together!"

Seeing this, Qin Huairu hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

"Okay, I'll go back for a bit, I'll come back later!"

"Row!"

He Yuzhu didn't realize Qin Huairu had any bad intentions, mainly because this scheming woman had evolved and had exceeded He Yuzhu's fixed impression of her.

Inside the room, the Third Uncle was chatting with Ran Qiuye. Teacher Ran was absentmindedly looking around at the room's decorations. Seeing this, the Third Uncle gave a knowing introduction.

"Xiao Ran, let me tell you, not only does Sha Zhu have a good salary and no worries about food and drink, but there's also this house. There's another one across the street, which belongs to He Yushui, Sha Zhu's sister. She got married last year, and now the house is empty. His family now has two rooms. Compared to other families, where more than a dozen people are crammed together, it's like heaven and earth!"

Ran Qiuye nodded, but she was still absent-minded. Finally, she couldn't help but ask.

"Teacher Yan, could you tell me about the restaurant across from He Yuzhu's?"

The old man had just taken a sip of tea when he looked up and saw Qin Huairu's back. He immediately understood why Xiao Ran had been so distracted.

In fact, Uncle San had introduced He Yuzhu's situation to Ran Qiuye last year, including his relationship with Qin Huairu. Ran Qiuye herself also inquired about the rumors between them.

Ran Qiuye was actually quite familiar with Qin Huairu. Bang Geng had been her student before, and Ran Qiuye had even visited her home at the end of last year. The two weren't exactly close, but they had met before.

Seeing Ran Qiuye's appearance, the third uncle smiled and said.

"Actually, there's no relationship between Sha Zhu and that Widow Qin. Even if there was, it's all in the past. Sha Zhu used to bring food back from the factory to help her family, but he hasn't done so for almost a year now. This shows that there's no relationship between them anymore!"

Ran Qiuye nodded, and her complexion improved a bit. The Third Uncle was a gossip, so since they were on the topic, he naturally continued talking about it.

"Actually, it's impossible for them to really get together. With Sha Zhu's conditions, he could find any young virgin he wants, so why would he go after that widow with three children?"

Perhaps feeling it was somewhat impolite to mention this young woman in front of Ran Qiuye, the Third Uncle quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Ran, besides this reason, there's actually another reason: Qin Huairu's mother-in-law will never allow Qin Huairu to remarry!"

Ran Qiuye immediately became interested and asked.

"why is that?"

The third uncle snorted, somewhat disdainfully.

"Her mother-in-law treats Banggeng like a treasure. If Qin Huairu gets married, who will raise someone else's son? So her mother-in-law will never let Qin Huairu get married. Besides, the whole family lives on Qin Huairu's meager salary. That job is in place of her deceased husband. Her mother-in-law is even planning that Banggeng will inherit that job in the future!"

Ran Qiuye nodded, seemingly relieved. She didn't know why, perhaps it was a woman's intuition, but she had just glanced at Qin Huairu outside the window.

The two seemed to stare at each other for less than a second. Ran Qiuye saw a hint of hatred, and even a hint of threat, in Qin Huairu's eyes. When Ran Qiuye turned back to look again, she only saw a kind smile on Qin Huairu's face, which made her feel vaguely uneasy.

Chapter 48: Everything is understood without words

After half an hour of busy work, the meal was finally almost ready. The third uncle acted as the middleman and explained He Yuzhu's situation again. Ran Qiuye kept looking at He Yuzhu, and the two of them smiled at each other from time to time.

He Yuzhu wasn't a novice either. Although Teacher Ran didn't have a boyfriend, she was indeed looking for someone who met her criteria. The two hit it off, and everything was understood without words over a meal.

At least He Yuzhu could tell that Teacher Ran had a very good impression of him, and if he seized the opportunity, he was sure there was a chance.

Soon all the food was served, and the entire Third Uncle's family arrived.

Everyone acted as if they hadn't eaten in eight hundred years, filling the table before the meal even started.

The old man saw that things were really going too far and scolded the third man. The third man also felt a little guilty and told everyone to take a few big steamed buns and some meat and vegetables back to eat. Only then did everyone sit down again.

When the five dishes and soup were served, along with the large white steamed buns, the deaf old lady sat in the main seat, with an old man and an old woman sitting next to her. He Yuzhu sat next to Ran Qiuye on one side, while the third old man and the third old woman sat on the other side, and Qin Huairu sat next to the third old woman below.

Qin Huairu was quite sensible; she gave each of the children two steamed buns and then prepared to leave.

In the end, He Yuzhu felt that the change was too drastic and was a little embarrassed, so he simply put some meat in the children's bowls before letting them leave.

After everyone was seated, an older man took the lead, raised his wine glass, and addressed the group.

"Come on, let's all have a drink! I hope that Zhu Zi and Teacher Ran's relationship will blossom and bear fruit. It's time for them to settle down; they're not getting any younger!"

He Yuzhu immediately beamed and raised his glass to toast everyone. Ran Qiuye, standing to the side, smiled shyly and raised her glass as well.

Although He Yuzhu was unsure whether Teacher Ran could drink alcohol, he had seen some homemade fruit wine at the black market a few days ago, which he found quite unusual, so he bought two jin (1 kg). He took it out now, poured a glass for the deaf old lady, and then poured one for Ran Qiuye.

Ran Qiuye looked up at He Yuzhu and immediately thought that this simple-minded man was actually quite thoughtful.

The group raised their glasses and clinked them together. The deaf old lady smiled broadly at He Yuzhu and Teacher Ran, making Ran Qiuye feel a little embarrassed.

At the dinner table, no one talked about Ran Qiuye's family situation. After all, everyone knew what was going on, and it wasn't just Ran Qiuye's family that had this problem. The conversation was more about He Yuzhu.

The guests enjoyed the meal immensely. The six large bowls of dishes were all eaten clean. In particular, the Third Uncle's family, young and old, went back and forth two or three times to get more food. He Yuzhu couldn't bear to watch any longer and quickly put some meat and vegetables into Ran Qiuye's bowl.

Ran Qiuye did not refuse and picked up the bowl to eat. Just as she was about to eat, as if sensing something, she looked up at Qin Huairu across from her. She saw the coldness on Qin Huairu's face flash by, quickly disappearing and replaced by a kind smile.

He Yuzhu noticed that Ran Qiuye's expression was off, and followed her gaze to Qin Huairu across from him. Seeing Qin Huairu's kind smile, he didn't think much of it.

After the meal, the others dispersed, leaving only He Yuzhu and Ran Qiuye. He Yuzhu said as he cleared away the dishes.

"Teacher Ran, my third uncle has probably already told you about my family situation, so I won't hide it from you. I've always wanted to meet and talk to you about it. I'm not young anymore, and I really want to find a wife like you so we can live a good life together!"

Ran Qiuye was a little shy and didn't answer, but seeing He Yuzhu busy by himself, she immediately realized what was going on and went to help.

He Yuzhu didn't refuse, and the two quickly cleaned up the dishes. He Yuzhu went to wash the dishes, while Ran Qiuye wiped the table for him and boiled water to make tea.

The two worked together quite well, and everything was understood without words. He Yuzhu could also clearly sense that Teacher Ran was a little uneasy but also a little expectant, which was obviously a very good sign!

After tidying everything up, He Yuzhu quickly served tea to Ran Qiuye, who accepted it and said thank you.

"Don't mention it, Teacher Ran. May I call you Qiuye?"

Teacher Ran paused for a moment as she picked up her teacup, then lowered her head, took a sip, and made an "hmm" sound.

He Yuzhu grinned foolishly and quickly brought over a chair to sit next to her. Looking at this somewhat intellectual girl with two long, black braids, He Yuzhu felt that she was a treasure, and an untapped one at that.

“Qiuye, I’ve heard about what happened to you at school from Uncle San. Don’t overthink it. This wave will end sooner or later. If you really feel wronged, then quit that job. I’ll support you, and we’ll live a good life together!”

When He Yuzhu recounted her experiences at school, Ran Qiuye first felt a pang of grievance. Then, upon hearing He Yuzhu say, "I'll take care of you," Ran Qiuye's heart began to race, and her face turned as red as an apple.

Despite Ran Qiuye being a teacher, and He Yuzhu having little romantic experience in real life, he's more than capable of handling this naive girl.

"Qiuye, I still have some milk candy here. I'll wrap it up for you so you can eat it when you get home!"

Ran Qiuye quickly put down her cup and shook her head.

"Forget it, forget it, you can keep such valuable things for yourself!"

"What's so valuable about this? Even if it is valuable, is it more valuable than you?"

Ran Qiuye's face turned red again.

He Yuzhu placed the packaged candy on the table. Perhaps Ran Qiuye was a little uncomfortable with this first date, which was with such a bold He Yuzhu, so she stood up and said.

"It's getting late, I'll head back now!"

He Yuzhu then looked outside and saw that it was indeed dark. He quickly nodded and stood up.

"Alright, I'll see you off!"

"No need, no need, I'll go back by myself!"

He Yuzhu picked up the candy on the table and said to Ran Qiuye.

"Let me walk you to the outside of the compound! Here, take this candy!"

Ran Qiuye then took the candy wrapped in kraft paper with some embarrassment. He Yuzhu carefully tied it with hemp rope, and then she could just carry it and hang it on the bicycle.

The two walked out of the gate. Ran Qiuye pushed her bicycle outside, and He Yuzhu followed beside her. They chatted and laughed as they walked out of the courtyard.

Unbeknownst to them, Qin Huairu watched through the window, her face as cold as ice, as the two walked out of the courtyard, chatting and laughing.

He Yuzhu escorted her to the door, and the two stood there, both knowing they should say something in farewell. Ran Qiuye blushed, unsure of what to say, while He Yuzhu, who was too talkative, hadn't thought of anything to say. Finally, seeing the awkwardness, he quickly spoke up.

"Qiuye, can we have lunch together again tomorrow afternoon?"

Ran Qiuye was taken aback, thought for a moment, and then said with some difficulty.

"I might not have time tomorrow, how about the day after tomorrow?"

He Yuzhu nodded quickly and hung the milk candy on her bicycle. The two smiled at each other. He Yuzhu felt a little thirsty. This little girl was so pretty.

"Qiuye, take care on your journey. Remember to eat some milk candy, it's very sweet, just like how I miss you!"

Ran Qiuye almost stumbled, grunted in response, hurriedly quickened her pace, used the momentum to get on her bicycle, and rode towards another street.

Only after Ran Qiuye's figure disappeared from sight did He Yuzhu turn around, humming a little tune happily, and walk towards the courtyard.

Ran Qiuye rode across the street, tapping the brakes with her foot. Her face was flushed, and she touched her cheeks, which still felt hot.

Ran Qiuye blushed and murmured.

"Hmph, whoever calls him 'Silly Pillar' is, I think he's not silly at all!"

Chapter 49: Unexpected Events

When He Yuzhu returned to the Intermediate People's Court, he made a point of looking in the direction of Qin Huairu's house.

Remembering how Qin Huairu ruined He Yuzhu and Teacher Ran's good time in the original novel, He Yuzhu couldn't help but glance at Qin Huairu's house again.

However, Qin Huairu in this world seems to have changed. In recent months, she has stopped meddling in other people's business and doesn't seem to be particularly affectionate towards him anymore. She has become a proper confidante, which has made He Yuzhu feel much better about her.

Unfortunately, He Yuzhu is not exactly a dating expert in real life either. In this world, He Yuzhu's memories of life are even more of a dating idiot. The fusion of these two memories is no match for an evolved version of Qin Huairu.

As He Yuzhu was thinking, he saw Qin Huairu come out carrying a washbasin. Upon seeing He Yuzhu, she casually greeted him.

"What are you thinking about? You're already thinking about them the moment they left?"

He Yuzhu quickly realized what was happening, chuckled, and since he was in a good mood today, he joked.

"Sister Qin, I think you should find someone too. Don't you think about yourself or your child? It's too hard for you to be alone like this!"

Qin Huairu's face immediately darkened. She put the washbasin on the ground and ignored He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu was too embarrassed to say anything more, so he quickly laughed it off and went inside.

As soon as I entered the room, I took a sip of tea. It was the same cup that Teacher Ran had drunk from. Although the tea was a little cold, it seemed to still carry some of Teacher Ran's lingering fragrance.

He Yuzhu still fantasized about the wonderful life he could have with Teacher Ran in the future.

Just as this fantasy began, Qin Huairu walked into the room carrying a laundry basin. Without saying a word, she dumped all the dirty clothes he had changed out of on the bed into the basin. He Yuzhu felt a warmth in his heart upon seeing this.

In the original novel, why was He Yuzhu ultimately captured by Qin Huairu?

Isn't it these everyday details that influence a man?